Alumni dressed up in their spookiest gear for a Halloween -themed auction supporting the Bradley athletic department on Oct. 27.
The second annual Bids for the Braves Auction, set up by the Braves Club, invited alumni to dress up in their Halloween costumes and enjoy fine dining for a prominent cause. The event, which took place at the Renaissance Coliseum last Saturday, is the biggest fundraiser of the year for Bradley Athletics.
Alumni arrived in all different costumes, ranging from Pennywise from “It” to MC Hammer to nerds. Athletes from each Bradley sport filled the room, introducing themselves to people and handing out tickets.
Tables were scattered throughout the coliseum floor, while buffets were lined in the back with Halloween themed dishes.
The event included both a live and silent auction with many diverse items in place with various price ranges. Some of the silent auction items included a barrel of different barbeque spices, a cauldron of craft beer, a Bradley University soda pop machine and signed sports memorabilia. The live auction showcased a wheelbarrow of various alcohols, a Bradley quilt made from t-shirts and an electric dart board.
“The amount of items alone … there’s something for everybody,” Ashley Stegall, one of the Board of Directors for the Braves Club, said.
Additionally, the event is also about bettering the athletic programs to help both the university and the Peoria community.
“I am all about funding the athlete programs because I believe building into those student athletes and building into the university,” said Stegall. “This will only help this local economy into getting more students to stay here and get jobs here and to continue to build up the university.”
Specifically, senior baseball player Andy Shadid said he loves the fan base they have in the community.
“This is a really good event, not just for the baseball team, but for the entire athletic department,” Shadid said. “I like to see the community involved with athletics … it’s just cool to see how well the community responds to the athletic department here and how much it’s grown the last few years I’ve been here.”
Additionally, alumni expressed that they were happy to give back to the Bradley athletic department because it has given students opportunities for success.
“Bradley has a wonderful athletic program and this is a fun way to contribute,” said Phil Brodeur, a Bradley ’09 alum. “It is also a fun way to hang out with the coaches and players.”
The auction also reminded alumni how Bradley made an impact in their lives.
“I think my experience at Bradley both educationally and socially taught me how to think more critically,” said Brodeur. “And [it] made me able to interact in a lot of different situations professionally and otherwise.
